Shipping containers for transporting temperature sensitive payloads typically include insulation materials, such as foam peanuts, expanded foams, etc. Various other containers have employed phase change materials to protect the payload from hotter or colder ambient temperatures during shipping. There is an urgent need for an environmentally friendly or “green” container and method of use for maintaining the payload temperature within a narrow band and which can operate without an electrical power source.
Many packages and methods are currently employed to ship temperature sensitive products. Often, these packages and methods require specified thermal preparation. For example, known methods of temperature sensitive material product recovery require on site thermal preparation, or just in time delivery of properly thermally prepared packaging. Methods also exist in which a mechanical device is activated, such as a device that evaporates water into a vacuum and uses the latent heat of vaporization to chill and maintain the temperature of a payload. Such systems are complex and expensive. A passive shipping package with no moving parts is particularly needed.
Temperature sensitive materials such as vaccines are sent to remote locations for use. Often unused materials are wasted for lack of adequate temperature control equipment at the remote location. As the temperature sensitive materials may initially be in usable condition, a method to recover remotely located temperature sensitive materials is urgently needed.